


Life

by teph_writes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Astoria Greengrass's Blood Curse | Blood Malediction, Childhood Trauma, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:29:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26177239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teph_writes/pseuds/teph_writes
Summary: Draco just wanted to have a quiet life after the Battle of Hogwarts. Five years had passed and he successfully lived his quiet life until one day, he met Astoria Greengrass.Ever since that day, his days onward was never as quiet as he wished it would be anymore.
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Draco stepped inside a bookstore.

He walked into a section which offered classical literature and various storybooks. His fingers traced the spines of the books while reading the titles one by one. His mother had requested him to buy a literature book for a gift. He couldn’t remember an elite who loved reading, especially a literature book. He randomly picked one and looked at the back of the book.

He frowned when he read the first page. He couldn’t understand the thrill of reading a literature book. If someone read economic books like himself, they’d get useful information about the economy. What would someone get after reading a literature book? An inspiration to start conflicts like how these books always offered to those imaginary people?

He looked at the spines with various heights, thickness and colors. Sometimes he wanted to empty the bookshelf and resettled the books by order and height. He was about to pick a book which height stood out the most when another hand brushed against his hand and touched the spine. His hand bumped on the back of it and the touch electrified his hand a little bit.

He immediately pulled his hand. His eyes darted to his right to see a lady in her shoulder length, dark brown and wavy hair who was also looking at him with her green eyes. What bothered him was her oddly familiar face.

“I’m sorry.” The lady squealed. She gestured at him to see the book. “You can take it if you want.”

He waved at her dismissively. “Forget it. You can have the book.”

“I was just going to check it out--”

“Then do so,” he scowled. He immediately retreated before he had to waste his time arguing with her. He randomly pulled another literature book and pretended to give full attention to it. 

He glanced at the lady with brown hair. Her hand gracefully reached out to pull out a book. Her fingers moved between the pages while her eyes examined whatever was in the page she was reading. Her hand slowly tugged strands of her hair behind her ear, revealing one side of her face to him. 

He felt like he’d seen her before even though only a glance whenever they crossed paths.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He caught her looking back at him with a frown. 

Did you just embarrass yourself?

There was no way he would tell her how familiar she looked.

“Is something on my face?” she asked again.

Couldn’t think of any reasonable yet not embarrassing explanation, he decided to ignore her and set his eyes on the book he was still holding. He quickly put the book back onto the shelf and left the literature section with the girl in wonder. Yet he still couldn’t get a perfect answer of whether he’d met her before.

He sighed. He started wondering if he should give another book instead of literature. Any book but literature to avoid her. He went to the philosophy section. He thought whoever received this gift should try another reading style such as philosophy, astronomy, anything but literature. He scanned the available books, trying to see if there was a book that wasn’t heavy enough to read.

He picked an astronomy book. It was about the story behind the stars that were found by the astronomists. It was like reading literature but talking about stars. He was about to purchase it when he saw the girl in the cashier.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He retreated.

He decided to stick around until she disappeared.

####

Draco entered a new drinking place in Diagon Alley not too far away from the bookstore.

He got to a small round table at the corner of the room where he could spend his time drinking by himself. The bartender didn’t seem to care and asked him what to drink. He left after Draco had ordered which was a good thing.

It had always been like this, though. He had no idea if it was because no one would drink with a traitor or he had unconsciously been pushing people away. Sometimes he was alright with the loneliness. He’d gotten used to it. Drinking and working alone wasn't really a problem to him. No one would stick their nose into his business. No more drama would come into his life when he had had enough to handle.

He snapped out of his thoughts when someone served drinks on his table and left. He poured himself a glass and took a gulp. The liquor cooled his throat. He lifted the bottle to see the brand and wondered if he could supply some in his manor.

It wasn’t post-dinner so only two tables including his were occupied. Even though it was a new place, he knew right away this is a bar for elite society. The brands, the drinks and the price showed it all. He came here too early for drinking and he preferred that. Usually he would leave when the bar started getting crowded. That was when others started noticing his presence and talked about the worst things about him.

He went down the second and third glass. He picked up an astronomy book he’d just bought and gave it a try before handing it to whoever his mother had wished to give. Astronomy had never been in his reading list even though his name was from the star like his ancestors. As words started flowing into a story, he started thinking if he’d bought the wrong book to be considered as a gift. Who would read such a book with so many astronomy vocabularies which sounded foreign in one’s ear?

“I suppose a drinking place can be a place to read a book too.”

Draco looked up. 

The same girl with long wavy dark brown hair appeared before his table. She gesticulated to the empty seat across him. “You seem to be drinking alone. May I join you?”

What?

He looked around before he asked, “Are you not mistaking me for someone else?”

“Unless you’re a Malfoy, then, yes, I am,” she replied. She deliberately took a seat across him and raised her hand. A bartender attended his table and took her order. “Please split the bill. We’re just drinking partners--”

Drinking partners?

“--who’s getting to know each other.” The girl smiled at the bartender while watching him taking notes of her order and her message. “Congratulations on your grand opening, by the way. It’s very cozy and comfortable.”

He watched her bantering with the bartender. She seemed to have her way with words when talking friendly to someone with a different society. He was still confident that she was an elite based on her fashionable and expensive-looking dress and necklace.

“I’ll definitely try your new menu some other time,” the girl chuckled before the bartender thanked her and left the table.

He shut the book and put it on the table beside his drink. “Why don’t you take a seat near the bartender to talk more instead of drinking with a stranger?”

“Isn’t it better if you have someone to drink with?”

“I never say that.”

“Ah, the drinking buddy term does not apply to some people then.” She reached a small bowl of pickled fruits and popped one into her mouth. He didn’t remember ordering fruits. “Well, it applies to me and I want to have a drink with you today.”

“Why?” he frowned. He laced his fingers and put his elbows on the table. “We don’t even know each other to begin with.”

Her face screamed that he did even though he couldn’t find the answer to that. He picked his glass and pretended to take a sip while trying to study her face again.

The bartender arrived with her order and left with a cheer from her for his new menu.

"What if I don't want a company?" He asked again. He took a sip and put his glass down on the table. "What if I find your presence annoying?"

She shifted her gaze from her glass to him. "Why don't you ask me to leave then? It's not like I'm flirting with you right now."

"Will you leave if I ask nicely?"

"Do you find my presence that annoying?"

He sighed. Honestly, it was his first time since his legal drinking age talking to someone while having his drink. He found her presence rather… thrilling since this was new to him. He just didn't want to describe it that way.

"Don't you find my presence rather annoying?" He frowned at her. "You know who I am, don't you?"

"You’re very old fashioned, aren’t you?” She popped another pickled fruit in her mouth. Then she used her right hand to extend her hand across the table. “If our unknown identities discomfort you, let’s get to know each other then. I'll start first since I've started all of this. My name is Astoria Greengrass.”

He was glad he wasn’t on his drink or he’d choked on it.

“G-Greengrass?” he frowned as he studied her face, her hair and her appearance. “Daphne Greengrass’s little sister?”

He began to understand why he felt like he'd met her before.

The girl sitting across him looked a bit similar to Daphne. Draco had known Daphne Greengrass since his first year in Hogwarts. Sbe had long and straight blonde hair and striking green eyes. He thought her genes ran through her family since her mother was also blonde. She had often mentioned about her little sister even though she’d never introduced him to her.

He’d expected her sister to be blonde like her.

Greengrass seemed to notice his confusion when she held her long hair and showed it to him. “You know, genetically, I’m supposed to have blonde hair like yours since Daphne and my parents are blondes. Do you agree with me?”

Draco nodded. That had been the first thing he debated when she introduced herself as a Greengrass.

“I keep wondering why I got this brown hair though,” she continued. “Like, whose gene do I own to produce brown color? I don’t think it’s my ancestor’s. Everything about me is always connected to my ancestor.”

“What’s wrong with your ancestor?” Draco asked. He had no idea what was so interesting with her ancestor yet he wanted to hear about them.

“I don’t know. My bad luck comes from my ancestor. My brown hair is from my ancestor since he’s also a brunette. My green eyes? They’re as soft as the ancestor’s since Daphne’s eyes are blue. I’m not sure if any of those are correct.”

“Does your outgoing personality come from your ancestor?” Draco concluded. “Also you are talkative. Does that come from your ancestor as well?”

“Perhaps.” She gulped the rest of her drink. She was a tough drinker for a woman. “Wait, am I that talkative?”

“What’ve you been doing then?”

“Just because I do most of the talking doesn’t mean I’m talkative.”

He shrugged. Maybe she was right at all. He was just looking at her cover.

“Ah, I have a question. When we met in the bookstore,” Astoria said after they didn’t talk for a while, “why did you run away from me?”

_“Why are you looking at me like that?”_

“I kept thinking that I'd seen your face somewhere before," Draco finally admitted. "I didn't know you were Daphne Greengrass's sister until you introduced yourself."

"I see," she grinned. "Well, you're not alone and my hair is also different so I understand."

He nodded. "What a headache to think about whom your face looked like with only to find out that you were a sister of Greengrass."

She chuckled. “Why? Is my face too charming for you to think about to give you headache?”

He scoffed. “Do you think you’re charming?”

“I do,” she smirked. “In fact, lots of people say I am.”

He frowned. What the bloody hell?

But he had to admit she was. He did remember when she held the book and when she tugged her hair behind her ear. Those little things she did were so graceful he thought she must be some kind of a fallen angel.

Am I drunk already? He frowned. Draco gulped the rest of his drink and got up. He did notice he had slammed his glass harshly on the table. It was harsh enough to make her shudder. 

He put on his coat and picked up his astronomy book before heading to the bartender. “Whatever. I’m leaving. Thank you for not asking me to pay for your drink.”

“Are you mad at me?” she frowned.

“No."

He left before she could say anything else. He paid for his drink and stepped out of the building to take a very deep breath of the town’s air. He tugged the book inside his coat and went home.

He decided not to drink with anyone unless it was business.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite what had happened between them years ago, Mr. Borgins still welcomed Draco into his shop.

Draco wanted to have a consultation about the artefact that he'd found in his manor. The artefact looked like it was made of glass and carved neatly. He wondered how long it had been staying in his manor because it was fully covered in dust when he found it.

Maybe more than a decade.

Mr. Borgins, for the first time, didn't seem to have any idea about the artefact when Draco showed it to him. Instead, the business owner promised him to schedule him a meeting with someone who seemed to know much about the artefact.

“My… acquaintance has been looking for an artefact with a similar description to what you had,” Mr. Borgins explained. Draco could catch the distaste in the owner’s voice when he was talking to him. “I’m not sure if that’s the right one but I can have you to meet him in my shop.”

In the meantime, he decided to go to the bookstore to see if there was a book talking about the artefact. The curiosity was still burning in him and he didn’t want it to die before he found out what the artefact was. He tried not to stand out too much when he entered the bookstore, surrounded by teenagers and parents who were buying books--

He’d just realized that he was nearing the end of August.

He went through some giggling teenage girls and found the shelf he wanted to see. He read the titles at the spines of the books, looking for a title that interested him. The last book that he’d purchased went to his father who in the end gifted it to a daughter of someone in the Ministry for no particular reason. One thing that Draco could assume was that he was using the daughter as a leverage for something that at least benefited him.

His hand froze.

Then the daughter must’ve been so easy to manipulate if Lucius could use her as a leverage. Draco was a bit disappointed. He thought the book was for someone with more… intelligence.

He pulled out a book and had a look--

“So, Malfoy is interested in… History.”

Draco lowered his book to see Greengrass taking a step closer to him with her hands on her back. She was wearing a blue colored pastel dress. This time, she tied her hair into a long and low ponytail. 

He couldn’t believe he would meet her for the second time at the same place. He began to wonder whether he would have more accidental meetings with her in the future.

He shook his head and returned to the book. “I’m… just filling in my curiosity.”

“About what?”

“That’s none of your business,” he said while flipping some pages to see an illustrated weird looking stone with a long description about it. “Why are you here?”

“I saw you walking inside the bookstore,” she explained. “I just wanted to say hello.”

“By claiming people’s interest?”

“I’m trying not to make it awkward,” she protested. “But I’m glad you’re not running away this time.”

He closed the book. “Can you not talk about it again?”

“Why?”

“Just stop.”

“It’s quite memorable,” she said. “Like, if people ask how we met, at least there was an interesting story--”

He glared at her. “You’re not going to talk about it to others.”

She laughed. “Calm down, Malfoy. It’s not like people are going to ask about us anyway.”

“You talked as if you didn’t know the community we’re in,” he muttered while pulling out the third book that interested him to take a look. “They’re going to find out sooner or later.”

“And it’s alright, isn’t it?” she asked. He glanced at her as she turned around and leaned her back against the shelf. “Hold on, did someone from your side forbid you to be friends with me?”

“If they were then I wouldn’t be talking to you right now.”

“You sound so scared of the idea that others find out about our friendship.”

“I’m not” he frowned. “I was just telling you that no matter how you tried to hide it, people will find out eventually. I’m alright with that. It’s not like we’re both in a scandal at the moment.”

“True,” she agreed. “So, the problem is how we met.”

He flipped to the next page. His eyes were still glued to the pictures of the artefacts, looking for information or even a sentence which described his artefact.

“Then let’s reconstruct it,” she offered. “We didn’t meet in a bookstore. We met in--”

“Let’s say we did meet in a bookstore but without me running away,” he said. “You were next to me and you were so clumsy that you accidentally dropped a book.”

“And then you turned around and helped me? Then our eyes met when we were about to pick up the book? Our hands also met and then there was love in the air--”

“Not like that!” He quickly stopped her when he felt chills running down his spine.

He returned the book to the shelf and walked away. None of the books actually showed anything about the artefact he was holding. He wondered how long the object had been dwelling in his manor if none of the writers seemed to know about it. He sensed her walking beside him while leaving the bookstore.

“Why are you following me?” he frowned when she was still beside him outside the bookstore. “Don’t you have anything else to do?”

“Don’t worry. I have a lot of free time to kill today and I don’t have any idea what to do,” she told him. “So, anyway, we met in a bookstore. I was leaving when I carelessly bumped into you.”

“You were the one being careless?”

“Oh, do you want to--”

“No, you.”

They walked on the sidewalk without knowing where to go. He didn’t even bother to ask her. He just wanted to wander before going back to his house.

“I carelessly bumped into you,” she continued before having a long pause. “But that doesn’t explain how we… are talking like good friends now. Why can’t I just tell people that you ran away from me--”

“Because I’d sound like a coward and a loser!”

She frowned. “Why did you run away again? Last time we met, you didn’t really explain it to me. You only told me that I looked like someone you knew--”

“You caught me staring at you while I was trying to remember whom you looked like! If I wasn’t embarrassed because of that, I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel at the moment.” 

Then he realized that he’d spoken so loud that some passersby turned to him with frowns. Fortunately, before the count of five, the passersby walked away as if nothing had happened. He cleared his throat and turned to Greengrass who was staring at him with an unexplainable look on her face.

 _Is she shocked because I suddenly yelled at her?_ He thought. He was about to wave his hand right in front of her face when she suddenly took a deep breath.

“So, you ran,” she concluded. 

He nodded slowly and hesitantly. He felt like he was showing her his weakness and thinking whether she would take the advantage of the information.

She turned away from him and continued walking. He quickly was on his steps beside her. “You didn’t sound like a coward to me.”

“Don’t try to make me feel better,” he scowled.

“No, I mean it,” she argued. “It’s normal, you know. I’d feel the same if I was caught staring at someone but maybe I wouldn’t run away.”

“See?” he asked. They took a left turn before he continued, “You wouldn’t. I did. That makes me look like a coward. Now change the story!”

“Alright, alright!” He smirked in victory when she decided to give it up. She heaved a sigh. “I get it. Let’s say we met in a bookstore. There was only a book left and we both wanted it. You gave me the book. I bought it. There. You sounded like a gentleman. Then we started talking about the book which led us to what we are doing now.”

“Talking?"

“Talking like good friends."

He shrugged. “At least the story was better than dropping the book and love was in the air, blah, blah, blah.”

She giggled. “Agreed. That was terrible."

He stopped and turned to her. "So, we're done here."

She nodded. She pointed her hands to the opposite of where he was heading. "Yeah. I'll just go that way--"

"Perfect."

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her hands. "I think you shouldn't worry that much. It's not like we're going to see each other often. People won't know."

"I do hope the odds are in favor," he agreed, "so anyone doesn't have to talk anything about us."

She cocked her head. "Are you also like this to others, Malfoy?"

“Like what?”

“Like… pushing people away when they want to communicate with you?”

 _“That was your chance to get into the Ministry!”_ He suddenly heard his father’s voice a few weeks ago. _“Why are you being like this, Draco? Why did you push them away?”_

"You know what? I don't care if I hurt you with my attitude but this is how I behave and I'm comfortable with it," he explained. "Either you deal with it or we shouldn't talk anymore."

Ignoring her questioning look, he turned away and left her alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Borgins kept his promise.

A week later, Draco visited the shop in Knockturn Alley with his artefact in question again. This time, he saw another middle-aged man who had the same height as Mr. Borgins with grey short hair sitting on the counter instead of the business owner.

Draco turned to Mr. Borgins. “Who--”

“I believe you must be Draco Malfoy?” The middle aged man asked as he rose from his seat before Draco could finish his question. After Draco confirmed his identity, the middle-aged man offered his hand to him. “Nice! My name’s Alf Inkwood. Just call me Alf. Mr. Borgins said you have something that is similar to what I’m looking for.”

Draco hesitantly shook Alf’s wrinkly and thin hand.

Without wasting more time, he placed the artefact on the table and unwrapped the cloth to reveal the artefact made of glass and carved beautifully. The moment he revealed the artefact, he glanced at Alf who was already marvelling at it. Draco slowly folded the cloth.

“Mr. Inkwood, is this precisely what you’re looking for?” Mr. Borgins asked.

Alf titled his head as if one point of view wasn’t enough for him to see and learn. “I don’t know, Mr. Borgins. How long have you been keeping this, um, can I call you Malfoy?”

“I don’t know how long,” Draco admitted. “It was covered in dust when I found it in my house so I assume more than a decade.”

Alf raised his eyebrow. “In your house? Do you collect artefacts, Malfoy?”

He nodded. Actually, his father did all the work. He’d just grown his interest with ancient objects recently when he found the carved glass. He still had no idea what had tickled his interest in the object, though. It was just a plain glass that was carved beautifully. He even gently wrapped his hand around the carved glass and lifted it up to see the bottom.

“What’s so peculiar about this thing?” Draco decided to ask as he pulled a chair and sat across Alf. “What do you know about this thing? I haven’t found a book that talked about this.”

Alf frowned. “Did I say that I looked for it? I didn’t--”

“You did,” Mr. Borgins argued. “You kept coming back to my shop asking if someone has ever visited my place asking about a carved glass.”

Alf gently lowered his artefact and looked up. “I know this is yours and it’s valuable so I won’t ask whether I can borrow it for a while.”

Draco nodded. “Agreed. There’s a chance that you’ll never return it to me.”

“How sharp,” Alf chuckled. “There’s still something I want to know. Would you like to come with me?”

“Where are we going?” Draco frowned. “I thought you had the information--”

“I don’t,” Alf said. “But I know someone who does.”

“So, you’re like the bridge between me and the true informant,” Draco concluded.

Alf nodded hesitantly. “Yes, you can say that. The thing is, I’ve seen a sketch with the description similar to the thing you brought to me.”

“A sketch? Are you saying there’s an actual book or a script about this artefact?” Draco gasped. When Alf nodded again, he couldn’t believe his wasted effort browsing a bookshelf in a bookstore while being disturbed by a girl.

No.

Maybe disturbed wasn’t the right word. He wasn’t really disturbed when Greengrass said she wanted to help him reconstruct the story of how they met. She even gave him a role that wouldn’t embarrass himself.

 _Was I_ , he suddenly thought, _too harsh before I left her?_

“Not a book actually,” Alf suddenly corrected himself while Draco was still searching for a word that best described his interaction with Greengrass. “It looks like a journal to me. Literature isn’t my specialty so I’m not sure. I’m sorry.”

“It’s the same,” Draco grumbled audibly, for he didn’t care what type of literature it was as long as it had the information he needed. He wrapped the carved glass with the cloth and picked it up. “So, where’s your informant?”

####

The informant was another old man but probably older than Alf.

There were more wrinkles on the informant’s face and he looked tired as if he’d been living for too long and wished death to come upon him already. He was thin like a paper with pale skin and grey long hair.

The moment they arrived, he was standing on the doorway. He and Alf embraced as if they hadn’t met for a century. Draco had to wait for these men to talk and laugh until he saw the one with long hair revealed a leather book that he’d been keeping on his back and handed it to Alf.

“Good luck,” Draco heard the old man with long hair spoke before he patted the book and let it go. “May you find your happiness.”

 _Good luck?_ Draco frowned as he watched the old men shook hands. _Happiness?_

Alf then led him to a pub not too far from where the informant lived. The pub didn’t look inviting with creaking wooden floors when they stepped inside and dim lights. This would be the first place Draco would avoid if someone asked him to hang out in Diagon Alley. They picked a small table at the corner.

He watched Alf turning the pages, put it down and slid the book to him. Draco leaned closer to see a precise sketch of his carved glass.

“It’s precisely the same,” Draco muttered. He looked up at the old man. “How did your friend have this?”

“That informant and I were wanderers before the Dark Lord took over the Ministry,” Alf said. He paused when a man came with a huge glass. Alf took a swig and continued, “We wandered the wizarding world to learn more about the history of our world and collect things we can carry like abandoned books, treasures and other things.”

Draco cocked his head. “You know, there’s a book called The History of Magic. It’s so thick that I think all of the history information you need is there. I can give my book freely if you want.”

“I know,” Alf agreed. “But reading alone isn’t enough. There’s just... a curiosity in us. A curiosity to find more discovery that this world’s still hiding. It’s alright if you don’t get it because most people don’t. Even my parents.”

Alf laughed. Draco didn’t know how to respond. He even didn’t know what was funny enough to make this old man laugh.

“Moving on,” Alf continued, “if the sketch is precisely the same with the actual thing, then the book is the right one. We found it in an abandoned house. It has a lot of information about your carved glass.”

“Does that mean you actually know about this carved glass but you don’t want to explain?” Draco widened his eyes. “You knew there was a lot of information in this book. You… knew there was a sketch and even showed me.”

Alf heaved a sigh. “You’re right. I do actually know about that glass.”

Draco scowled. “You lied to me? Really?”

“Yes, I’m sorry for that,” Alf apologized. “I thought it was better if you just read the journal rather than listening to this old man babbling.”

Draco shrugged. “I haven’t heard you doing the lecture. I don’t know how bad your babbling is.”

Alf laughed. “You’ll fall asleep, Malfoy. I’m not a great speaker.”

“Then at least tell me why you’re looking for this glass,” he said. “That’s not in this journal, is it?”

“I’ll tell you what’s not in the journal,” Alf finally decided. “That glass brings life.”

Draco froze.

The world seemed to stop moving.

Chills suddenly went down Draco’s spine. Those were just five simple words but somehow those words felt like they could bring destruction to the whole world.

“Life?” Draco frowned after he regained his voice. “Is it like the ability to revive a dead person? Like a philosopher’s stone?”

Alf grinned. “Maybe. I’m not sure. A seer’s words are never clear, are they?”

“A seer?”

Alf nodded. “My friend and I bumped into a seer when we rested in a small inn. She suddenly told me to be aware of a carved glass that could bring life. Head to an abandoned house in a certain area far from the inn to find the answer. That’s how we found the abandoned journal.”

“How did you know she was a seer?” Draco frowned. “She could be a madwoman speaking nonsense to you.”

“That’s what we thought too,” Alf agreed. “But my friend was really curious about the address she gave so we went there to inspect.”

“And you found this journal,” Draco concluded. “But you said nothing in the journal stated that the glass brought life like what she said. How do you know this journal is the answer--”

“That’s why I told you to read the journal,” Alf explained. “I was also as skeptical as you until my friend insisted me to read the whole journal after he did and I began to understand the seer’s words.”

Draco turned to look at the carved glass that was sitting idly next to him. His heart pounded loudly. He swallowed. He wondered if he should tell his father about what he had just discovered.

“Don’t get too excited,” Alf’s words retrieved Draco’s attention from the glass. The old man put down his empty glass along with some coins before he got up. “You can’t interpret a seer’s words that easily. Life itself has a lot of meanings.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Did you go to the chamber where we keep the artefacts?” Lucius asked when Draco arrived in the manor. His tone sounded like he was going to cast a killing curse if his son was being honest with his answer.

Draco nodded. “I’m sorry for not telling you.”

“That’s not the problem,” Lucius frowned. “What did you take?”

Draco showed his father the artefact. However, he managed to hide the journal in his robe.

Lucius frowned. “Why are you even interested in that?”

Draco tilted his head while he was trying to remember. He found the artefact when he was wandering in his father’s chamber full of artefacts because he was bored. It sat idly among other artefacts but somehow he was drawn to it the first time he noticed it. It was as if he had a connection with the carved glass covered in layers of dust and the artefact was calling him to come closer.

Draco looked at his father. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Lucius frowned.

“I was just… drawn to it,” Draco decided to tell the truth. “I don’t even know why.”

Lucius seemed to be in a deep thought with his hand beneath his chin and kept mumbling, “Drawn to it.”

“Father, do you know something about the artefact?” Draco asked.

Lucius lowered his hand. “That artefact is just a mere artefact. It doesn’t do anything. That’s what my grandparents and yours told me when I found it in the chamber.”

_“That glass brings life.”_

“I thought--No, I mean, do you know how we acquired it?” Draco asked.

“Our ancestor got it from someone,” Lucius explained again. “It’s been left untouched in our manor for generations. We’ve been trying to sell it but we… just gave up in the end.”

“Why?”

Lucius cocked his head and crossed his hands. “You’re full of questions today.”

“I was drawn to it so I wanted to know more," Draco quickly said.

“Long ago, a member of our family got injured when he was delivering the artefact,” Lucius recalled. “Suddenly, he didn’t want to sell it and decided to keep it in our manor until this day. Draco, don’t sell it. Don’t give it to anyone. Just keep it in our manor. I have a bad feeling if you try.”

“Alright,” Draco promised his father. “I won’t.”

“Ah, but that’s not the only thing I want to talk about,” Lucius said. “Tomorrow evening, we’ll be attending a gala.”

Draco frowned. “A gala?”

Lucius nodded. “Provided by the Nott family for gatherings. I think your age is suitable for marriage as well.”

“Marriage--”

That was when Draco understood his father’s true intention to attend the charity gala. 

“Have you found someone you want me to get engaged with?” he asked.

Lucius shook his head. “No. But at least you can introduce yourself to the other families and talk to them. I’m giving you the freedom to choose whoever you’re going to marry. Your time to inherit the house and everything we have is coming closer, Draco.”

####

Draco stared at the artefact.

_“That glass brings life.”_

_“Life?” Draco frowned after he regained his voice. “Is it like the ability to revive a dead person? Like a philosopher’s stone?”_

_Alf shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure. A seer’s words are never clear, are they?”_

_“That artefact is just a mere artefact,” Lucius said instead. “It doesn’t do anything.”_

Draco lifted the journal. Since there were two different kinds of opinions, he began to doubt whether the journal was real or a made up story. Alf looked convincing enough when he forced Draco to read it.

He wished the leather journal wasn't so frail and old. Sometimes, when he turned to the next page, he accidentally tore a small part of the paper. At first he ignored it but when it often happened, he didn't know how to deal with the pages anymore.

It was clear that the journal was written by someone called Danny. The journal began with a wizard--which was Danny himself--whose beloved mother was dying because of an incurable disease. The first twelve entries were about how his mother’s health had dropped probably faster than the newest broom sold in Diagon Alley. The boy wanted to do something for her but alas, he was poor.

_Like the Weasleys?_

Then, enter a wizard who was known for being smart, wise, creative and amazing. Danny described this wizard as if this kid idolized him more than he loved his mother.

The wizard wanted to help the poor child. Therefore, he made a gift for Danny’s mother. The gift was a carved glass with the sketch that really looked like the actual object Draco had found in his manor. He had no idea who had sketched it but the drawing looked amazing. Each of them got a letter from the wizard. Danny was told to make sure her mother held the artefact and thought about what made her truly happy.

 _Mother smiled the brightest for the first time even in her sleep that night with the carved glass in her lap._ Danny had written.

His mother was slowly getting better.

 _“Life itself,”_ Alf had also spoken, _“has a lot of meanings.”_

Words were spread about her condition. Later, a very wealthy wizard came and offered a ridiculously huge amount of fortunes in exchange for the carved glass. 

Danny boy refused.

 _What a strong hearted boy,_ Draco thought as he turned to the next page.

But the wealthy wizard didn’t give up. He kept visiting with lots of treasures to offer. Danny boy was actually tempted to take it and gave away the glass but he didn’t want his mother’s health to drop again.

 _I don’t want to lose my mother._ The boy had written. _I don’t want to be alone. Without her, it is a scary world outside._

The boy wasn't wrong.

One day, Danny wrote that the carved glass was gone.

Danny mentioned that someone broke into the house and stole it. There were pieces of window pane scattered on the floor but he didn’t hear it when he and his mother were asleep. The whole neighborhood investigated the incident for Danny and he was very grateful for it.

 _They don’t do it for the boy,_ Draco speculated, _but the carved glass. They want it. They want Danny’s trust so they can have the carved glass too._

Draco would do the same. Who doesn’t want an object that could heal or bring lives? There was no way his neighbors were kind for nothing. Nothing was free in this world.

Reports started coming in. Neighbors saw a black silhouette breaking into his house. Others said there was a man looking suspicious hanging out in the neighborhood at the night of the thievery. Danny summarized all of the reports and called it a very complete and helping report.

Draco had a sudden urge to smack Danny’s head so the lad could realise what situation he was into at the moment.

While Danny and the neighborhood was making an analysis about the identity of the thief, the lad wrote that for the first time since a long time, his mother couldn’t sleep. Danny stayed by her mother’s side so his mother could hold his hand while she was sleeping. Her condition became odd in the absence of the carved glass. Sometimes, she would cry and when Danny asked why, she told him how she missed his late husband.

 _I thought Mother had let go._ Danny had written. _Why did she talk about him again? She even cried all night!_

Ever since that, her health worsened.

Draco frowned. The more he read, the more irrelevant his father and Alf’s words seemed to be. This glass definitely did something to Danny’s mother since she became a crybaby after the glass entered her life. It didn’t mention anything about bringing life either. His mother’s health even worsened.

There was also a possibility that the whole thing in the journal was a made up story.

 _But Alf mentioned that he understood everything after he read this journal,_ he thought. _Was he lying?_

He closed the journal and hid it under his bed before he slept.

####

The Nott family must’ve spent a tremendous amount of money for such a huge and majestic gala.

It was spectacular. It was huge. Throw in more positive and descriptive words. That was how the gala looked like. It was packed with people dressed in their best and spectacular clothes. It was as if for the first time, they were celebrating the victory from the second war.

Draco stayed by his parent’s side while they were talking with other guests. It wasn’t that he couldn’t talk with the other guests. It had been a long time since he actually engaged himself in a conversation with someone else in a social occasion that he felt awkward when he wanted to start one. And none of the guests seemed to be interested to talk to him either.

Lucius led his little family to another family gathered somewhere in the middle of the gala. Lucius greeted the family. They greeted him back. Lucius spread his hand to his little family. Draco flinched when his mother put her hand on his back as if presenting her proud son to the other family. After that, they moved to another family.

Draco started to feel like his father was promoting his son to some families who had a daughter within his age. Not that he minded since his father didn't force him to talk with the women. While his parents were bantering with the other guests, he looked around, trying to find something that could help him get through the boredom. There were people talking, laughing, eating, drinking, playing music to entertain.

Since their parents were too engaged in a conversation with the guests, they had probably forgotten Draco’s existence so he decided to tour the room. Still, people talking, eating, drinking and entertaining themselves. He went to the bar when he saw one somewhere in the huge room, took a seat on the barstool and ordered something light. He was thinking about spending the rest of the event sipping on his drink until his parents started looking for him.

“Hi, can I get the one you recommend the most?”

This voice.

Never in his life had he turned so fast. Astoria Greengrass was sitting two seats away from him and talking to the bartender. For the first time, she tied her hair up into a messy knot with a hairpin to hold her hair. She was wearing a tight maxi plum colored dress. When the bartender left, she pondered while watching the bartender.

Draco turned away and lowered his gaze on the table. He thought about changing his seats to somewhere further than her but he decided to be against it. It would only show her how cowardly he was. He tried to ignore her presence and focused on the bar table.

He hissed in frustration. If he hadn’t known or spoken to her before, maybe the silence weighting between them would’ve been more bearable.

Even the bartender seemed to be confused and uncomfortable while delivering their orders. He gave him a concerned look before shrugging and turning away, minding his own business, which was what Draco wanted the most from the bartender. He gulped down the drink so fast and left the bar to find another spot in the room which was far, far away from her--

When he was about to get up, he saw her gulping her drinks so fast and got up. She thanked the bartender and left.

Suddenly, his mind wandered through the endless possibilities of her behaviour.

_She was like that not because of me, was she? I didn’t do anything to her. She didn’t even look at me. She talked to the bartender like she talked to me before--_

He did remember their last encounter. He’d told her something not in a very nice way and left her immediately. If she hadn’t provoked him by asking about his behaviour, maybe he wouldn’t probably have done that. He wondered if she was mad at him because of what he’d told her next.

_But why, he also wondered, does her behaviour bother me so much?_

“Would you like another drink?” the bartender asked.

Draco immediately refused and left the bar.

There must’ve been something wrong about him to make him worry like that. It was just a girl sulking. Nothing more. Nothing less. He’d seen Pansy sulked before and he didn’t have any curiosity whether he or anyone else had done something to her. Maybe it was because of the drink. But he knew himself and his limit when drinking.

He decided to find his parents and stayed with them.

“Where’ve you been?” Narcissa asked when Draco reunited with his parents. His father was listening to a pureblood talking about the Ministry. “Your father has been looking for you.”

“Really? Why?” Draco asked.

Just when his mother was about to explain, Lucius reckoned his son to come closer. He did as told. Right in front of him was a short man with thin black hair. Judging from his look, he seemed to be older than Lucius. He extended his hand to Draco.

“Ah, you must be Draco Malfoy,” the short man said. He looked like someone who believed that the world would always be a happy place to live. “Your father has told me a lot about you.”

Draco only nodded.

“Your father insisted for both of us to know each other to ease the talk about your… future.” He extended his hand for a handshake with Malfoy. “I hope we can have a great friendship in the future. My name is Cassius Flint.”

_“If our unknown identities discomfort you, let’s get to know each other then.” Greengrass extended her hand across the table to him. “I'll start first since I've started all of this. My name is Astoria Greengrass.”_

Draco frowned. _What did I just--_

“Draco? Are you alright?” Narcissa asked as she patted his arm.

Draco was about to assure his mother when someone with a very loud voice spoke from the stage. “Ladies and Gentlemen! For those who received numbers at the entrance, hear me out!”

All heads turned to the stage including his parents and the short man.

Draco pulled out the number that he’d received at the entrance from his pocket. He’d forgotten to throw it away since he had to keep following his father around the room. He looked up at the stage.

“A pair of you get the same numbers,” the host announced. “I'd like to brief about what this is about but it seems that everyone has known. To shorten the time, I think I will skip the explanation. Now it's time for you to go find someone who get the same numbers as yours! Quickly! Quickly!”

Draco frowned when boys and girls around his age started wandering around, asking others if they’d got the same numbers. 

The short man chuckled. “Youngsters and their ideas these days.”

“What is this about?” Lucius frowned.

“I heard they’ll be dancing without knowing who their partners are,” Cassius Flint explained. “Their partner will be determined by the numbers. I’d do it if I weren’t married.”

“Do you want to go, Draco?” Narcissa asked beside him.

 _This stupid dancing thing?_ Draco frowned in disbelief.

“I don’t know how to dance,” he told his mother.

“It’s just swaying slowly with your partner,” his mother chuckled. "You've learnt the basic back when you were the little. I'm sure you can."

“Does anyone have number eight?” A girl screamed from somewhere inside the room.

Draco quickly checked his number--

“It’s eight. What a coincidence,” his mother gasped when she leaned closer to him. He was sure he was seeing his mother giggling for the first time in his entire time. He flinched when she gently patted his back. “Go on. Meet that girl.”

“What’s wrong with you, Mother?” Draco frowned.

“Just go,” Narcissa insisted while she was still grinning. “Your talk with Mr. Flint can wait.”

“Cissy--”

“Yes, Lucius, it can,” she assured her husband. “Please.”

“Certainly,” The short man added. “I’m not going anywhere either.”

Draco turned to his father. Lucius nodded in approval even though he didn’t seem to like it. He shook his head in disbelief. “Fine--”

“Number eight!” The girl shouted.

Draco hurried through the crowd of people looking for their partner while shouting or asking for the numbers. A lady approached him and asked if he had the same number as hers. Another lady did the same.

Just how many couples are there going to be? Draco thought.

“Did you get number eight?” a man suddenly came to him.

Draco hesitantly replied. “Yes? You didn’t happen to get the same number--”

“Of course not!” he frowned. He offered his number “Let’s switch.”

“What?”

“Switch? You know, like exchanging the numbers. Come on, mate! Don’t you know how uncomfortable it’ll be dancing with strangers?”

_But isn’t that the point of giving out random numbers? To dance with random strangers no matter how weird that is?_

Without any further questions, Draco agreed to switch. He really didn’t care who his partner was anyway.

“Thanks, mate! You’re a lifesaver!” The young man patted Draco’s shoulder briefly before he dashed away.

_A lifesaver?_

After they switched, the young man immediately rushed to the girl who had been shouting her number. She looked deliriously surprised when she saw her partner and ran to him.

He looked at his new number. He didn’t really want to go and ask around. Having the girl shouting her number was a good thing already before that young man interfered and asked to switch. Most people had gotten their partners. Some looked satisfied with the partners. Others didn’t.

“Anyone with number two?”

Draco turned around. “Yes--”

He paused when he saw Greengrass showing him the same number.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously, I have deleted chapter 4 and 5 and replaced it with the new ones (the previous and current chapter). I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

They stared at each other. 

He tried to make sure that his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Of all ladies who joined this stupid game in the gala, he had to dance with the one who had been trying to avoid him, the one whom he’d pushed away.

He thought about telling her that he had mistakenly read the number he got.

_That’s a very horrible and lame excuse._

Greengrass cleared her throat. “We, um, meet again.”

Draco nodded. “Coincidences are weird, aren’t they?”

“Very,” she agreed. “So, are we going to dance or not?”

“No, we’re going to jump off a cliff,” he sneered before holding out his hand to her. “Of course, Greengrass! That’s the whole point of this stupid… thing!”

_And Mother is watching._

Greengrass gently took his hand. They glided into the dancefloor with others and took position. Somewhere in the crowd who were watching, he saw his mother frowning at him. She was probably confused with the sudden change of my partner. He stood across her like the others and waited for the music to start.

“Unless,” Draco muttered, “you don’t want to.”

Greengrass frowned. “Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

He glanced at her when she lowered her gaze to the floor. He wondered if she was actually uncomfortable to dance with him but he was too late to notice it. And if she was, it was clearly and transparently her fault for not saying anything when he took her to the dancefloor. He was a man for occlumency, but he couldn’t read another’s mind!

He wished the music started sooner. He couldn’t stand the silence between them anymore--

The music finally started. Thankfully.

He abruptly placed his hands on her waist and hand like the others. He moved forward and bumped against her.

“I thought you were about to move backward first,” she said with a hint of guilt in her voice.

He only rolled his eyes.

_Dancing sucks!_

He slowly moved backward while she took the first step forward.

_Now what?_

When he saw the others raised their hand for their partner to twirl, he quickly and stiffly did the same to her. He quickly placed his hands on her again when she returned to position.

He breathed in relief.

She suddenly stifled a laugh.

“What?” he scowled. “Why did you--”

“I-I was just thinking about something funny.” She quickly bit her lips, probably to control her laughter even though she failed. “Sorry.”

He wondered how she could think of anything else while he had to think hard about what to do next so he wouldn’t look like a complete idiot in the middle of the dancefloor.

He looked at the others while trying to keep up with the music and the rhythm. They were still moving around. Their feet were agile as if they’d been dancing for their entire lives. He wondered when they had time to learn that or why the interest. He did learn it just when he was little but he couldn’t memorize all of the movements just like them.

“Ouch!”

He quickly backed away when he realised he’d just stepped on her foot. 

He thought he should’ve just said no when she’d asked whether they danced or not.

 _Isn’t it supposed to be your fault then? Not hers?_ A small voice in his mind sneered.

He ignored it. He just wished the music would end sooner. He couldn’t keep up any longer with where, how and when to move or step while keep glancing at the others to remind him what was next. Yes, his mother had once taught him about dancing when he was little but he’d forgotten about most of it since most of his life was very occupied with the Dark Lord business anyway. The only time he had the chance to dance was the Yule Ball but it was a very long time ago.

_It’s just swaying with your partner, they said!_

Greengrass danced really well, though. She moved swiftly around him, especially when she twirled. He swore he saw her smiling for once when she did that as if it was the happiest thing she’d ever done. Then she faced him again, she quickly cleared her smile. Sometimes he missed and stepped on her feet before he quickly returned to his position as if nothing happened. He didn’t miss her amused look and her effort not to burst out laughing, though.

 _Thinking about something funny, my foot!_ He silently grumbled.

The more he saw it, the more he wished the music would just end. He was already seen as a complete idiot to her--

The music finally ended. Confusingly but wonderfully at the same time. It was as if the music itself could listen to his thoughts.

Draco and Greengrass faced each other like the other pairs. He bowed. She curtsied. The whole room applauded except him. They cheered for the successful but sudden dances.

And then Greengrass smiled right in front of him for the first time since their last encounter in Diagon Alley.

Brightly.

Widely.

Genuinely. He could just tell.

While clapping her hands and congratulating the couples on her both sides for their performances even though she probably had no idea who they were or from which families.

He swallowed.

Shaking his head, he turned away from her to clear his head and off from the dancing floor. He hoped whoever hosted this gala, the Notts if he remembered correctly, didn’t have any weird ideas to couple up two strangers who, coincidentally, weren’t strangers enough to be called strangers.

“Malfoy, wait!”

He turned to Greengrass. “What?”

“Thanks for… agreeing to dance with me,” she grinned from ear to ear. He noticed that they were the only ones on the dancefloor at the moment. “That was… fun.”

He growled. “Fun for _you_ , I guess! Don’t pretend you were thinking about something funny the whole time when your laughter was always on point whenever I--”

That was when the bubble of laughter inside her burst. She covered her mouth with both hands while her shoulders shook greatly. How he wished the killing curse wasn’t illegal and easy to do for moments like this.

“Laughing at people is the best, isn’t it?” he sneered. “Now I understand why you were sorted into Slytherin.”

She still couldn’t contain her laughter. “I’m not laughing at you!”

“Then are you laughing at yourself? Are you mental? Do I have to send you to St. Mungo’s? Your sister must be so happy to take care of you there.”

“Will you pay the bills too?”

“You wish!”

That was when he realised that they were finally talking to each other after he’d been wondering about her behaviour previously. She probably felt the same when she slowly lowered her hands from her face and lifted her gaze to meet his.

He felt some burdens had been relieved off his body. It was as if he was relieved he could find what he'd been looking for a very, very long time.

“I think,” Greengrass looked at him, “we have to talk.”

####

Lucius and Narcissa seemed to have different thoughts about the dance Draco had done.

“I think you need to learn more about dancing,” Narcissa chuckled as she patted her son’s back gently. “You did great, though. You only need to improve.”

“Indeed,” Lucius joined the conversation. He didn’t seem as enthusiastic as his wife. “However, I’m more curious about the girl you danced and talked with. She was Astoria Greengrass, wasn’t she?”

Draco whirled his head to his father. “You knew her?”

“Of co--Son, did you not?”

Not until she showed up in the bookstore that day.

“How did you know her?” Draco interrogated.

“I know her parents and indirectly their daughters,” Lucius explained dismissively. “Anyway, I hope that’s the last distraction for you. I don’t tolerate you for running away anymore.”

He regarded his wife and son with a cool look. Narcissa only replied with a brief but loving smile before she turned away to enjoy what kind of idea the gala was going to offer next. The dancing-with-strangers idea was weird already.

“Ah, my name is Cassius Flint,” the short man introduced himself again.

Draco cocked his head. “What’s your relationship with Marcus Flint?”

“He’s my nephew,” Flint stated. “Previously, I told you there’s something we’d like to talk about.”

“ _My_ future,” Draco repeated even though he didn’t quite understand. He glanced at his father for an explanation but his father nudged his head to Flint. He hopelessly obeyed. “What about that?”

“I thought that maybe, just maybe, you’d like to visit my house if you have free time.”

Draco frowned coolly. “Why do you think I have the interest?”

Flint glanced at Lucius. Draco narrowed his eyes as he stared at his father. He tried to think of many possible scenarios his father had made. His future. The interest to go to Flint’s house. The gala. Why they came to the gala in the first place--

“Do you perhaps have a daughter?” Draco blurted.

Flint’s eyes widened. Then he composed himself and nodded. “Yes. Unfortunately, she can’t come to the gala or I’ve already introduced the two of you. That’s why I invited you to my house to get to know her.”

Draco shrugged. “I’m always free except tomorrow.”

“What,” Lucius’s voice was as dangerous as a teacher who was about to beat his student if they didn’t answer the question correctly, “are your plans for tomorrow?”

Draco thought about how to answer the question carefully without inviting more curiosity from his father.

“Research.”

Draco hoped his father understood what he meant even though it wasn’t what he was actually going to do the next day. Yes, he’d just lied to his father. It wasn’t his first time, though, so he didn’t feel that guilty.

“Is your son doing research, Lucius?” Flint asked.

Lucius cleared his throat. “Yes. Apparently, he’s been having a unique interest with magical discoveries these days.”

“That’s wonderful,” Flint nodded as if he was interested to see the progress. “So, Draco, what kind of discovery have you found these days?”

“An artefact,” Draco quickly said. He closed his eyes for his gears to work to come up with more lies. “Yes, just an artefact.”

What a beautiful lie.

“What does it do?” Flint asked again.

“It--”

Draco quickly shut his mouth before he could utter its ability to bring life. That was not what normal folks even among the purebloods, the highest society in the wizarding world to ever exist, would listen to.

“It’s just a mere artefact,” Draco told Flint immediately. “But I don’t believe it so I’m conducting research.”

“Yes, I don’t seem to believe it either,” Flint agreed. The short man seemed annoyingly so eager to talk more about it. Draco had to get his head working for more lies. “We’re living in a magical world to say that just a mere artefact is not promising. It must’ve had something in it.”

“Well, I don’t know.”

Except for the fact that it could bring life. Whatever life was.

“Here’s a piece of advice from me as someone who has taken care of a dark artefact before,” Flint offered. “A power is never simple.”

“You don’t say.”

“What I mean is that… you have to understand why it holds such a power or how the power will react if an outsider gives treatment to it. Not just knowing that there’s a power which can do this or that,” Flint explained. “A power is like a human. It feels. It sees. It reacts when given a treatment. This is why it’s not very easy to cast the unforgivable curse.”

Several guests around Flint shifted uncomfortably.

“Do you understand,” Flint continued after everyone had settled down and continued with their business, “Lad?”

Draco cocked his head while staring at the father of a woman he was going to introduce. There was something about Flint that tickled his mind to reconsider telling him what he actually knew about the artefact. It was as if he’d just found the right person to share his secret with.

Which wasn’t something he could find every day.

“Yes,” was all Draco managed to say, “I do.”


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, around three or four in the morning, Draco lied in his bed while enjoying the early morning ambience in his bedroom.

_“I think we have to talk.”_

They didn’t talk much afterwards since he had to meet his parents and Cassius Flint. Then Greengrass insisted on meeting him at ten in the morning. She said she wanted to talk.

He had no idea what they were going to talk about. Last time they met, their conversation had been so random and always ended up with him leaving her alone since her behaviour kind of irked her to some points. He just thought whether it was going to be the same again.

Since he couldn’t sleep, he left his bed and wandered around his bedroom, wondering what he could do. His eyes landed on his desk. The unfinished journal was there and he felt like it was calling him to finish reading it. The glass sat idly right next to the journal.

He’d been wondering why he was so drawn to the artefact ever since his father had asked him.

He took a seat behind the desk and held the journal. He picked up the last entry. If he remembered correctly, he’d read until when the writer’s mother’s health worsened.

Apparently, the writer didn’t want his mother to die so he was really dedicated to get the glass back. The next entry said that he’d not written for three days because he and the neighbors found out who stole it.

The wealthy wizard.

 _I mean_ , he thought, _it’s too obvious!_

Mostly for the next few entries, the writer only wrote about his mother’s health. She was unwell but she could at least calm down and sleep after the wizard the writer idolized gave him herbs and potions for calm. There was really no cure for his mother’s health even though the idolized wizard had travelled a lot of great places to do research.

 _Because_ , the writer wrote, _it’s not a disease that mother was suffering all this time._

Draco frowned before he reached the last paragraph of the entry.

_It’s a curse. It’s eating her life._

####

“So,” Greengrass began when they met in Diagon Alley, “you’re not scared of… being seen together with me anymore, are you?”

Draco frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Last time we met in Flourish and Blotts, you were so… scared people would talk about us. I even remembered you wishing both of us to never meet but yesterday, it seemed that the odds were not clearly in favor.”

She cleared her throat before she impersonated someone and spoke, “I do hope the odds are in favor so anyone doesn't have to talk anything about us."

He narrowed his eyes when she giggled of her own impersonation. To be honest, it was so terrible that he had the urge to tell her not to be part of a play in an upcoming theatre.

“Oh, I understand now,” he muttered while rolling his eyes.

She turned to him. “About what?”

“Why you wanted to talk. I should’ve thought about it and just refused.”

“Tell me about it--”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he scowled. “Laughing at me. This is your intention, isn’t it? You think I’m an idiot?”

“No, I do really want to talk,” she said. She sounded genuinely serious . “It’s just that… I don’t know how to begin.”

He turned away as his cheeks burned. _Damn it._

It was Sunday morning in the beginning of September therefore the weather was quite chilly in Diagon Alley. The street was filled with parents and little children in their coats running around and some adults. He assumed that Hogwarts had started its new term since he barely saw any teenagers hanging around.

“What do you want to talk about?” Draco asked after they were walking in silence for too long. “If it turns out you don’t have any important matters to discuss, I--”

“I realised I was wrong.”

_What?_

She stopped walking and turned around to face him. She looked like she was trying to calm down before she proceeded with her explanation.

“I should’ve stopped when I realised I was a nuisance to you from the moment you started pushing me away,” she explained. “But I kept on talking to you and tried to be oblivious with what you felt.”

_He shut the book and put it on the table beside his drink. “Why don’t you take a seat near the bartender to talk more instead of drinking with a stranger?”_

_“Isn’t it better if you have someone to drink with?”_

_“Why are you following me?” he frowned when she was still beside him outside the bookstore. “Don’t you have anything else to do?”_

_“Don’t worry. I have a lot of free time to kill today and I don’t have any idea what to do,” she told him._

“Too oblivious,” he sneered, “I should say.”

“So, let me ask you this.” She took a step closer to him. “Do you want us to stay what we are right now or… should we just stop communicating with each other?”

He thought it would be great if she didn’t continue her annoying behaviour around him. No one would talk about Draco Malfoy having a new girlfriend which meant two pureblood families would be joining. His father would demand clarification. Her parents would too. Then things would get worse if she fell for him and then he had It was just too much to handle. So, the more she stayed away, the quieter his life would be probably for the rest of his life.

He had to agree with it. His life was what mattered the most at the moment. Getting away from her was the best and wisest thing to do.

He had to know what mattered the most.

Yes. Correctly correct. Absolutely and obviously true.

She tilted her head and frowned. “Malfoy?”

 _So why is it hard for me to tell her?_ He complained silently.

 _I think I know why_ , a tiny voice in his head spoke. Draco swore he could imagine it smirking at him annoyingly. _You’ve been--_

“Blimey! That’s blood on you, innit?”

Greengrass suddenly gasped.

Frowning, Draco followed her gaze to the commotion behind him. He saw a woman whose clothes were soaked in red stains holding a small boy in her arm. Passersby also watched the woman in interest.

The woman nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks. “P-please! Hold the child for me! Please!”

The man who had asked about the blood raised his hands, probably to avoid touching the child. “Go away, woman! Don’t come near me!”

“Help!” the woman cried. “Help me! Please! I’ll return to take him again--”

“I’m not going to hold that disgusting boy! Go away--”

“Please! You’re the only one--”

“Let me hold him for you.”

Draco wouldn’t have watched the scene with more interest if Greengrass hadn’t been the one who offered herself to take the child.

“W-will you?” the woman stuttered.

Greengrass nodded. “I’ll be in Diagon Alley until the end of the day so rest assured. I don’t have anything to do too.”

The woman looked relieved as she rushed to Greengrass. “Please hold him. Take care of him. I will fetch him at the end of the day!”

Greengrass nodded again as she took the boy into her lap. “Alright then.”

“I’m Elizabeth and his name is Louis, by the way,” the woman introduced herself. She gave the boy one last loving look before she shifted her gaze to Greengrass and patted her hand. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. My name’s Asto--”

The woman hurriedly apparated right in front of Greengrass and the child.

Draco looked around. The spectators had dispersed. The man who had refused to hold the child shook his head in disbelief and amuse when he looked at Greengrass.

“Worst choice ever,” the man sneered at her, “but thanks. You’re truly a lifesaver.”

Draco started to hate the word lifesaver. He had no idea why. Everyone said lifesaver as if they had successfully transferred their bad luck to someone else without thinking of the ones who had received it.

He turned to Greengrass once the man had walked away. “I have to agree with him with this being the worst choice ever.”

She looked like she wanted to say something but decided to hold it. “I’m doing this for the boy, not for the mother.”

He scowled. “You care for a boy whose identity is unknown to you? If someday that woman asked this boy to live with you because she had to abandon him or whatever the scenario is, would you also let him in? Oh, you also didn’t see the red color on her shirt, did you? You were involving yourself--”

“I don’t want him to die,” she interrupted. She let the child rest his small head on her shoulder. “I don’t know what his mother is going through with her bloody clothes right now but I know that this boy’s life is not supposed to be on the line when he doesn’t even know what’s happening around him.”

That moment, he knew she wouldn’t listen to any warning he had to tell her.

“Also," Greengrass added, "I think we’re done--”

“We’re not! I haven't told you the answer!”

“Then give me one already! It’s just a matter of the former or latter!”

“And you think that’s an easy decision to make?”

She froze. Apparently, he too, after he realised what he’d just said. They looked at each other before she averted her gaze away to the child in her arms. She rocked the child slowly while the boy kept mumbling, “Mum, mum, mum.”

“You missed your mummy, didn’t you?” Greengrass talked sweetly to the boy. “Don’t worry, she’ll come back to get you at the end of the day. So, now, you have to stay close to me, alright? I’m not going to hurt you.”

Draco doubted if the boy understood her. He looked too small to start learning about alphabets.

 _Is she really going to stay here for the rest of the day?_ He couldn’t help thinking in disbelief. _Why is she so annoyingly kind to others? Why doesn’t she want to listen to me?_

But she was correct. She’d chosen to take the child until the mother returned from whatever bloody business she was into. She was already around twenty years old. Should it really be the worst choice, she was the one who had to face the consequence. He had nothing to do with it. Wherever she wanted to take the child, it wasn’t supposed to be his business.

And the timing didn’t seem to be right to continue their previous conversation.

“Fine!” he growled. “We’re done here!”

He walked past her. He tried not to look back while he was walking towards nowhere. He just wanted to get away from her and an upcoming trouble. He could just sense it the moment she offered herself to be the boy’s temporary guardian.

He turned around to see if she had finally sunk in his advice and left the boy alone. He confirmed himself that he did this so he could tease and laugh at her for revenge. She was still there, carrying the child. The child didn’t stay still in her arms. She just laughed at the little boy’s behaviour.

Maybe they would actually be alright. Maybe he was just exaggerating.

Draco was about to really leave them alone when he saw a man approaching Greengrass and the boy. The adults talked for a moment. Draco couldn’t see the man’s face because his back was facing him so he learned her facial expression to understand what was going on. What he learned was that Greengrass disagreed with what the man had told her. Then the man reached out to hold the boy but she got the boy away from him. 

Something didn’t seem right.

What got his interest was the way the man had his hand inside a pocket. For some reasons, Draco suspected that he was holding a wand or something harmful and was about to lash it out on Greengrass if she didn’t behave like he wanted to. If not, then why did he keep one hand in his pocket after he’d failed to snatch the boy?

Draco shook his head. _Not my business. Don’t get involved. It’s her choice. I’ve warned her. I’ve--_

Greengrass broke into a run with the boy. The man went after her and pulled out his wand.

_She’s going to be alright. She can defend herself. She’s chosen to protect the boy despite my warning. I shouldn’t care. I should go home and stay away from troubles. I’ve warned her. She didn’t listen. It’s her fault. Just ignore. Ignore. Ignore--_

_How is she going to defend herself if she has to hold the boy at the same time with both hands?_

He stopped walking away. His heart pounded wildly. He gritted his teeth. His hand slowly reached for his wand. His feet seemed to be restless.

_Damn you, Greengrass!_

He broke into a run.


	7. Chapter 7

He tried to remember which turns they had taken since he was a bit left behind. He had his wand ready to attack the man if he cast a spell on Greengrass. He just hoped that he didn’t have to use it or he had to explain to his parents about what had happened that day.

“Stop!” the man yelled when Draco had managed to catch up with them. They ran so fast he couldn’t endure it anymore. “Stop right now!”

Greengrass, as expected, didn’t listen. She kept running.

The man didn’t seem to like it. He pointed his wand at her.

Draco quickly cast, “ _Stupefy!_ ”

“ _Protego!_ ”

The man annoyingly blocked the spell with the protection charm. He tilted his head when he and Draco looked at each other as if underestimating the pureblood. Draco saw Greengrass taking a turn and disappeared from sight.

 _She left me_ , Draco thought in disbelief. _Great!_

The man scowled at Draco. Before he could run again, Draco cast more jinxes, hexes, stuns and any spells he knew on the man, trying to stop him from chasing Greengrass. Draco had to admit that the man was skillful. He could cast the protection charm so easily while Draco wasted lots of energy to cast more but useless offensive spells.

“ _Expelliarmus!_ ” 

The man’s wand flew out of his hand to his left. Greengrass was on the man’s back, pointing her wand at them. When the man ran to fetch his wand, Draco used his chance and shouted, “ _STUPEFY!_ ”

The spell hit the man right before he could bend over to take his wand. His head hit the wall as he fell on the floor and passed out.

Draco sighed in relief before he caught his breath. When Greengrass approached him, he glared at her. “For Heaven’s sake, Greengrass! Why didn’t you just hand over the boy to that man?”

“E-Elizabeth didn’t tell me there was supposed to be a man claiming as the boy’s father who would meet me and take him,” she told him. “That’s why I didn’t hand him over. He looked suspicious as well. A-anyway, I’d like to thank you.”

“Yeah, you should be,” he scowled. He turned away from her and muttered under his breath, “I can’t believe I’m doing this for someone I don’t even know!”

“His name is Louis,” she frowned at him. “His mother told us.”

“Yeah? And that makes you know everything about that useless--”

“Stop saying he’s useless.”

Draco cocked his head as he approached her. “So, you’re defending him now? You’re acting like his mother?”

“Why are you so upset about this?”

“Because you’re too kind and it's... so annoying!” he yelled at her. “Does he bring benefit to you? Here we are risking our lives for him! Does he know you? He’ll probably forget about you when he grows up! He won’t remember about any of this because his brain is too small--”

His next sentence was interrupted by a single but horrified gasp from her lips. Draco, slowly but hesitantly and breathlessly, trailed his gaze down Greengrass’s waist. His eyes widened when he saw red stains spreading on her dress. In the middle of the red pool was a knife going through her skin.

He looked back at Greengrass. Words failed to come out. Greengrass seemed to be shaking.

Draco flinched when the spell hit him and threw his wand away. He was about to retrieve it when Greengrass suddenly fell on the ground with the little boy, revealing a woman who he hadn’t noticed to be around them until that moment, pointing his wand at him. She smirked at him before crouching down to take the boy in her lap.

_This miserable good-for-nothing woman!_

He didn’t know if he should help Greengrass defend the boy or fetched his wand first. 

Greengrass surprisingly had a strong grip for the boy.

She looked at him helplessly. Draco looked at his wand which wasn’t too far away and then back at Greengrass who looked in so much pain while struggling to hold the boy. The woman tried to lift the little boy off Greengrass.

 _Wand first!_ Draco decided.

He was about to go get his wand when Greengrass suddenly screamed in pain. Turning around, he saw the knife had gone deeper in her body. Greengrass cried in frustration when she lost grip of the boy.

Draco gritted his teeth in annoyance. _Damn it!_

He ran to the woman and took a hold of the little boy’s waist before the woman could turn away. Since she was using both arms to hold the boy, she couldn’t use her wand, which meant that she couldn’t either apparate or cast spells on him.

He glanced at his back for a second. Greengrass was holding her wand while lying on the ground.

_Don’t you dare die, Greengrass!_

Using one arm, he kept his arm hooked on the boy’s waist and tried to pull him off her lap. His other hand gripped the other end of the woman’s wand and tried to take it from her. The more unarmed the woman was, the better. He tried to ignore the boy’s loud cry, probably in pain since there were too many hands squeezing his body.

He knew he had to keep the woman’s mind occupied so she couldn’t think of a place to go and apparated. He had to prevent her from doing any movement with her wand.

He stomped the woman’s foot as hard as he could with the flat heel of his shoe.

The woman hissed. He did it with her other foot. He quickly and forcefully yanked the woman’s wand out of her grip. Draco smirked at the woman before quickly letting go of her hand and threw away her wand on her back as far as he could. The woman looked like she was going to explode in a second.

Draco embraced Louis the boy with both hands and used all of his remaining strength to pull him out from her arms.

He quickly moved away from the woman and yelled, “Greengrass!”

_“Stupefy!”_

Greengrass, lying on the ground, cast the stunning spell with her shaking hands. It hit the woman just when she was about to launch herself at him. The woman fell on the ground with a huge thud.

Draco looked around to make sure no one was going to attack them anymore. He quickly but gently dropped the boy beside Greengrass before he fetched his wand and checked every single corner of the alley. He realised they’d entered another magical alley somewhere close to Diagon Alley and no one was really around.

It was as if this alley was made for their small battle.

Draco returned to Greengrass who was holding the boy with one hand and--

He almost forgot about her stab wound.

He quickly crouched down beside her. She looked pale. She was using her cardigan to cover the wound with her hand. He reached for the knife and was about to pull it out when Greengrass suddenly shrieked.

“What?” Draco frowned. “I was just going to--”

“Y-you c-can’t!” she gasped. “P-press… press the w-wound.”

Greengrass looked tired. She sweated a lot.

“H-how?” he asked. Panic rose in him. He’d never treated an injured person, especially a stab wound before! He couldn’t also apparate the three of them to the magical hospital. It was too risky.

She tapped the cardigan which was wrapped around the knife. Tears streamed down her cheek as she stuttered, “P-press.”

Groaning in frustration and disbelief, Draco rolled the sleeve of his coat. He reached to her wound stab and hesitantly put both hands on her bloodied cardigan. His heart pounded again. He was so scared to touch the knife that his hands started shaking.

“P-press? Like this?”

He calmed down a little bit when she gently put her hands on his, moved them closer to the knife and put more pressure on his hands. Together, they pressed her stab wound and stayed like that for a moment before she pulled her hands away and rested it on both sides.

Her breathing became shallow. The little boy was still sobbing even though he’d calmed down. Draco was surprised Louis didn’t go anywhere when Greengrass let go of him to help him pressing the wound.

There was no way Draco could call for help. He had his hands occupied. Greengrass was in no shape to do anything. The little boy was completely useless. And he couldn’t possibly leave her alone while she had to watch over the little boy.

Draco widened his eyes.

_Is she going to die then?_

“G-Greengrass?” he called softly, his voice was shaking. When she didn’t reply, panic for the second time rose in him. His lips shook before he managed to shout, “Oi, Greengrass!”

“W-what?”

Draco breathed in a tremendous relief. He felt like he was about to cry when listening to her sobs. His eyes were glassy with tears.

“Don’t you dare die,” he gritted his teeth. “S-stay alive!”

He even stuttered. Damn it!

He was not so good at consoling people especially when they were injured like Greengrass. He was so good at pointing out what was wrong with them without knowing how to fix it. But judging from her smile, maybe he actually had done a pretty good job at it for a first timer.

The alley became quiet.

Utterly silent.

The little boy’s sob. Greengrass’s shallow breathing and sob. Draco’s quick breathing while still pressing his shaking hands on her wound. His wet pants because he was crouching on a pool of blood. The cardigan soaked in blood.

Uncomfortably silent.

He wanted her to do the talking. To fill the silence with whatever topic she had in mind. To keep his mind occupied with something other than thinking if she was going to survive or not. To hear her laughter even if it meant laughing at him.

Just like the first time they met. And the second time.

 _Should I leave her here and go to the hospital to call for help?_ Draco wondered. _We can’t just stay here forever, can we--_

“We found them!”

Draco looked up. Three men stood at the mouth of the alley, pointing at them. Then they quickly rushed to the unconscious man and woman Draco and Greengrass had beaten up. One of the three men looked annoyingly familiar with his round glasses and a lightning scar on his forehead. He approached Draco and Greengrass while more men and women appeared at the scene, aiding the others to check the unconscious man and woman.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Malfoy,” Harry Potter spoke as he crouched beside the little boy and looked at Greengrass. Then he turned to the others. “We need men to bring the lady to St. Mungo’s! It's an emergency!”

“Yes, Mr. Potter!” they shouted.

Draco took his hands away with the bloody cardigan when he saw some men and women come over Greengrass and gently lifted her onto a stretcher. A woman hopped into the stretcher to take care of the wound. Then a wizard cast a spell that got the stretcher to float in midair while mounting the brooms like others. Two wizards and two witches took off along with the floating stretcher and they flew away.

_Since when were they holding a broom?_

“She’s going to be alright.”

Draco turned around. It seemed that Potter had had a great bonding with the little boy. Potter was carrying Louis the boy in his arms while looking at Draco. If there was a score for holding the boy, after seeing how Greengrass had done it, Draco would give Harry Potter a T.

He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t ask you anything.”

He tried to look anywhere but Potter. He looked down at Greengrass’s cardigan. It was fully soaked in blood along with his hands. 

He wondered how he had to go home without his parents finding out what had happened to him and the cardigan. He thought about washing the cardigan by himself but he didn’t know the spells to do it. And he didn’t want to throw away his dignity by asking the house-elves to teach him. He could just return the bloody cardigan to Greengrass once she’d recovered but… it just didn’t feel so right.

“Malfoy.” Draco quickly took a step away when Potter approached him and stood beside him. “I’d like to ask you some questions regarding what happened today. Can we start now?”

_No._

Draco didn’t want to. 

Really. For some reasons, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He didn’t want to meet anyone. He just wanted to… to visit St. Mungo’s.

And see if Greengrass was okay.

He didn’t want her to die. Not yet. They still had things to talk about. He had to scold her for being so kind, protective, everything which got her wounded like that. He also had to return her cardigan clean. No way he would keep it for the rest of his life!

He suddenly had so many things to do at once.

 _So much_ he thought in disbelief, _for a quiet life._


End file.
